Daniel Kinal

In my work at NZDOTech I've been spending a lot of time recently on PMO improvement and driving to results. I was asked recently if a PMO should focus on driving to outcomes or outputs, I'm a big believer that you can deliver a lot of "stuff" without delivery value. Most organizations follow a basic framework: - The business defines the desired outcome. - The PMO develops a plan—with input from all stakeholders—to achieve the necessary outputs that meet that desired outcome. Everyone in the plan participates and contributes as long as required to achieve the planned outputs. However, this often leads to breakdowns in achieving the desired results. Let’s explore why: Over time, plans evolve, business goals shift, and the value of a project to the organization changes. As a result, outputs need to be adjusted. But who is tracking these shifts? * The PMO should be monitoring changes to the plan and ensuring alignment with the defined scope. * The business sponsor should focus on whether the project’s objectives (outputs) are still delivering the desired business outcomes. * How effective are we at doing this? * Who catches these shifts? (How many times have we seen someone fully committed to delivering something, even when they know it’s no longer the right thing to do? Because we're measuring their success at delivering an output?) If you are solely delivering according to the plan, you might miss the fact that the outputs no longer achieve the intended outcome. We are all, in some way, stewards of the business. Therefore, it’s essential for teams to understand the outcomes being delivered and how their outputs contribute to those outcomes. This is the only way to catch misalignments and ensure you’re still on track to meet objectives. One added benefit of this shift in mindset is increased motivation. Many people are driven by the desire to add value to their company or team. When you tie their day-to-day work to the project’s outcomes, it helps them see the value they are contributing. I’ve seen numerous projects fail where the focus was solely on outputs. As the landscape shifted—whether in terms of business goals, market conditions, or internal priorities—the project was completed on-time, on-budget, and within scope, yet it failed to meet the business’s needs because it was no longer relevant. The PMO was tracking outputs, but not outcomes. You need to embed enough intelligence into your PMO (and across your organization) to ensure that every person understands and actively supports the business goals. Ultimately, only the outputs that support the current desired outcomes matter.

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Discover the ultimate guide to scaling your Australian business with Google Cloud. Learn how Cloudverse, a trusted Google Cloud partner, can help you leverage cloud technology to optimize operations, reduce costs, and drive growth. #CloudComputing #CloudServices #DigitalTransformation #BusinessGrowth #AustralianBusiness #ScalableSolutions #CloudStorage #AIandML #DataAnalytics #CostEfficiency #GoogleCloudPartner #CloudMigration #CloudSecurity #ITInfrastructure #RemoteWork #DataDrivenDecisions #MachineLearning #InnovationInBusiness #CloudStrategy #BusinessScaling #TechnologyPartner #EnterpriseCloud #CloudOptimization

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Little did I know I was coming down with something, and so all the warm, reassuring things I meant to say at the start of my talk about if I, as an arts and communications grad, a former maths-despiser, and UX-type, could get my head around commercial concepts, then so can you… Well, that part just fell out of my head. What’s left are some (I think) pretty useful tools and concepts for product people who want to try to lift their financial awareness. Don’t let perfectionism get in your way! #productmanagement #value #viability

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Are you the leader of a data team in a NZ Government Agency and do you have training budget you need to spend by June? #AgileDataCourse Does your team struggle to quickly capture data reqiurements from stakeholder using a shared language? Have I got the course for your team: https://lnkd.in/dgMBjy-K I delivered this course to an awesome data team yesterday. I love delivering this course. I love sharing a pattern template that allows teams to remove the drudgery and waste that comes with traditional data requirements processes. I love watching and hearing the conversations the teams have on how they can improve their way of working. So if you have training budget left to spend, then get in touch and we can discuss how that money can be used to help your data team deliver more value, more often, while having more fun. And I can run it as a remote only course or in person in Wellington, the choice is yours.

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🚀 We’re Live! Explore Our Brand New Website Today 🚀 At Cleer Consulting, we're thrilled to announce the launch of our newly designed website. 🔍 What We Do: We offer end-to-end software design and implementation services, blending industry expertise with cutting-edge technology to deliver Innovative Solutions and Measurable Results. Our mission? To streamline your processes, enhance performance, and drive engagement through tailored solutions. ⚡ Introducing Cleer Accelerators: Kickstart your mobile app development journey with our Cleer Accelerators—a powerful Flutter app and code generator built for rapid deployment and scalability. Whether you're starting a new project or looking to scale, our tools are designed to help you hit the ground running: - Enterprise-level best practices from day one - Pre-configured Firebase integration - Scalable architecture using Bloc - Built-in automation for enhanced efficiency - Robust features like authentication, localization, and more 🔗 Why Visit Our New Site? Discover how our solutions can help you stay ahead in a fast-paced market. Dive into our blogs (Coming Soon), explore our service offerings, and see how we can transform your business. 🌐 Check out our new website today and take the first step towards accelerating your digital transformation. https://lnkd.in/gm63hi_U #NewWebsite #CleerConsulting #Innovation #SoftwareDevelopment #Flutter #AppDevelopment #TechSolutions

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🚀 Boosting Tech Adoption: Strategies to Get Your Team on Board Invested in new tech but facing low adoption rates? Logitech ANZ’s recent roundtable with top tech decision-makers revealed strategies to overcome this challenge: 🔹 Assess Needs: Ensure new tech genuinely addresses a need or problem within your team. 🔹 Onboarding: Provide comprehensive training to highlight the value and functionality of the new solution. 🔹 Nurture Existing Tools: Track and encourage the use of tech to maximise your investments. 🔹 Reminders: Keep the tech top-of-mind to prevent old habits from taking over. 🔹 Feedback Loop: Solicit feedback to understand and address concerns, making the team feel heard and valued. Embrace these strategies to enhance tech adoption and drive successful digital transformation. 🔗 More from Logitech: https://loom.ly/5Yf3jNw #TechAdoption #DigitalTransformation #ITStrategy

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New Zealand is no stranger to a volatile market, but how can you successfully lead your business through rough waters? 🌊 Get your free copy of our latest guide packed with insights from experienced leaders, here: https://lnkd.in/gvdJ85Fe   #newzealand #businessleaders #keystrategies #NZeconomy #leadersguide #Avec

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🐉 Has working in an Agile team ever felt like an impossible, dragon-filled campaign? Then I have just the quest for you! Head on over to the LASTConf website, and vote for my talk: "The Dungeon Master's Guide to High Performing Teams". 🧐 Gain Insight into how Agile teams can learn from the classic role-playing game, Dungeons and Dragons. ⚔️ Learn how to min-max your team into a high-performing party of arcane heroes. 🙏 Get some Guidance on collaboration and leadership from an unexpected source!

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🌟 Calling Sydney SaaS Leaders: Exclusive Breakfast Roundtable🌟 As we know, the SaaS world is moving fast—economic pressures are rising, and customers want more. Might be time to revisit your Product-Market Fit and tweak that GTM strategy! Join us for a laid-back breakfast and a sharp discussion with your peers: We'll chat about: 1️⃣ Knowing when your PMF needs a refresh 2️⃣ Adapting your message to changing market conditions 3️⃣ Redefining your Ideal Customer Profile 4️⃣ Fine-tuning your GTM strategy and measuring results 📅 7th of November, 8:30am-10:30am 📍 Sydney CBD Who’s invited: Founders & GTM leaders at high-growth SaaS companies (up to 100 employees) Seats are limited—so, if you fancy breakfast, good chat, and swapping stories with fellow SaaS folks, drop me a message or comment below 🔥 #SaaS #sales #GTM #strategy 🐦 James Bergl

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Tech adoption by Australian companies is expected to grow as 92% say they'll maintain or increase software spending next year. Australian organizations are leaning on software to stay competitive and manage business challenges, making it imperative that these investments pay off. Access the full report for a detailed analysis of the 2025 trends shaping technology adoption and software priorities in Australia: https://bit.ly/3CZ7VcV #TechnologyAdoption #BusinessStrategies #2025TechTrends

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The Director's Guide to AI Board Governance is definitely worth a read, and highly recommend this for any directors / boards to both understand the context and how to move forward both with pace, but responsibly.

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Every interview of The Raise is now live on Spotify 🎙️ it’s a must-listen for anyone passionate about B2B SaaS, scaleups, venture capital, and deep tech. We’ve had some incredible guests from companies across Australia and New Zealand like Sharesies, Clare Capital, EVP, Blackbird, and Paloma. So whether you’re looking to understand the latest trends in unit economics, customer acquisition strategies, or the future of deep tech, The Raise has got you covered. Tune in to gain valuable insights and stay ahead in the ever-evolving tech landscape. Check out the latest episode here: https://lnkd.in/gwTjwGTW #TechPodcast #Innovation #SaaS #VentureCapital #DeepTech #CustomerAcquisition #UnitEconomics

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Today marks a truly momentous occasion for our little team. We have just completed the migration of a core business application from Omnis V7.3.8 to Omnis Studio 11 for Australia. For context of how incredible significant an achievement this is… 18 months ago I took on the Product Owner role for the Leisure Finance Systems team There was a clear understanding this was a 6 – 12 month role as our application was being replaced. Short term was all I was seeking, so this was perfect. Our 28-year-old application is: - A business-critical application utilized in 6 countries - Supported by a team 4 - 2 are part time developers - 1 developer who is 8 years past retirement age Due to the age of the version we were working on: - Finding new developers to work on this version wasn’t an option - Version 7.3.8 is no longer a support version Throughout the years, several attempts have been made to replace our application, but nothing made it to production. Rather than swim against the current, we took the approach to swim across it. We proposed that in order ensure we had a functional application we could migrate off, we had to upgrade. Once upgraded, migration to the new project application could occur when it was ready. A 4 phased upgrade proposal was presented. It took into account the tactical work required to upgrade, and also the option to take the application from a Citrix fat app to a web application. A move which would save millions each year in support and licensing. 2 of the 4 proposed phases of the project received approval by the business. With the other application due to be delivered, the last 2 phases weren't seen as necessary. October 2023, the team began work on the upgrade. The project had to be run with the same resources required to also maintain in parallel, the support, development and rollout of critical updates to the V7.3.8 code base which is still the backbone of the business financial processes. November 2023, 1 additional junior developer was brought on to assist with the project. May 2024, the replacement application project was put “On Hold” for an undetermined period. Completing our project became even more critical. Today the team has completed the final migration stage of all Australian stores to the new and improved Omnis Studio 11 version of the application. Today we achieved the unimaged. It is only the first step in the process of rolling this out. 5 countries still remain. This however is a monumental achievement for a team undersized to perform just the day-to-day BAU processes. Last Friday, the proposal to move from a Citrix based to a web-based application has also been ratified by the business. I don’t believe in what can’t be done. I believe in what can't be done by individuals, and I accept what can’t be done right now. This team has proven that even the seemingly impossible CAN be done when you have the right people and the right attitude. Be a can, not a can’t.

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Interested in AI? Highly recommend coming along to the free Data#3 JuiceIT event to hear Duncan Unwin chat about whether or not you ready for the oncoming tsunami of AI technologies!

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